Elsword: Fables of Elrios
by AverageFantasyWriter
Summary: Short stories that are compiled by various authors by setting in single themes. These are the stories of the El search Party and those around them.
1. Yearning Arc: Holding On

**Holding On…**

 **Written By AverageFantasyWriter**

…This was hell.

I'm lay watching…the hell that's happening before me… They didn't bother with me because I no longer had the strength to fight on…Not even enough strength to shout back in anger….

I'm looking to my side…while being pulled by the massive hands of a demon… It had a tight grip on my head, barely enough room for my eyes to see the chaos all around me…

…It's truly a shame that I wasn't killed so easily…

…My eyesight is getting blurry. …That's weird, I'm not even sleepy.

…I don't feel the pain…from the grip of the demons hand or the rough roads that i'm being dragged on…

It doesn't hurt…nor is it painful…

"Elsword! Get up! Come on! Someone open this gate! Please I need to help him!"

…Was that Aisha...? Ahh Aisha…Didn't I tell you not to push yourself…I chuckled catching the anger of the demons…..

Thump…..a fist hit the back of my head…..

Ha ha….I honestly can't feel it…..But I do feel the blood slowly making its way down the side of my forehead.

…One by one the demons took turns hitting me… I wonder….why keep dragging me on…if you just keep on swinging at me…

…Ahh I'm getting really sleepy…

…I'm sorry Aisha…I;m sorry I didn't keep my promise…

"…Hmm so this is the boy who caused us so many problems."

"?"

I looked up in the direction of the voice….all I could see was red and the outline of a female elf….

"Oh you still alive boy?"

"Hmph….I've never been easy to kill…."

"Also cocky…well I'll be sure to end that today!"

"How so-? Gwah!?"

"…Haha yes that's right feel the pain!"

My legs were starting to burn with pain…the pain surging through me was unbearable…

Huh…? My sight…goes to the side…and then up…

…Did the demon let me go…? No, I can't even tell anymore…

"Boy look at me when I kill you."

…I was yanked by the hair to face my death in the face.…

…I can saw…A pair of violet eyes staring directly at me…Chloe huh…i

"Heee! Elsword!" I could hear Aisha's sobbing get farther and farther away…..

"Raven!? S-Stop let me go!...L-...go!..." then it disappeared….

…Seems they got away…

…I closed my eyes slowly…I began to remember back to the day I first met Aisha…

…How annoying she was…How much we fought…How much I hated not being able to match her in battle…How her smile pissed me off to no end…Then before I knew it, I yearned to see her smile…

…I yearned…to stay by her side…even when she pushed me away countless times….I prayed that no matter what happens….every time I looked to my right I would hope she would be there…

"Ma'am...We should finish the boy . —He's at his limits."

I chuckled at the demons comment slowly opening my eyes….

"Heh….got tired of smacking me around?...Seems demons aren't so- Puah!..."

Another punch was sent at my face as chloe pulled my hair up to face him….

"Shut your trap boy. Hold him."

I was passed over to the demon that dragged me…..

…I looked up at the sky…I looked at the stars….thinking about how my future could have been…..With my friends….Rena...Raven….Chung...Eve...Ara…their faces flashed before my eyes just standing there smiling at me and…. Aisha….

[Elsword…] She was reaching out…..everyone was waiting for me…..

My vision began to blur with hot tears….huh?...am I crying….

"Ha ha...I-I…" A sadness started to well up inside me and I slowly began to break down….

"N-no...I can't….not here…"

*sniff* I tried to struggle but the strength in my body was already depleted….

"You've lost boy." Chloe slowly raised her sword above her head…..

No...No!...I want to live…..! I must make it!….there waiting for me…..

"Aisha…Hold on…I'm….*flop*"

I tried to reach out for her hand…..

 _I'm coming…home..._


	2. Yearning Arc: Tale of a Sealed God

Tale of a Sealed God

Written by

LunaHalo43

Forest Spirits have been considered as monsters, minor gods or even allies of demons for generations. Yet, all of them had only one desire: keep their territory safe.

In that regard, Gods and demons alike have seen them as the equivalent of animals. None of them had the power to oppose them and none of them ever showed any signs of wisdom.

Only humans, who often shared their territory, knew how captivating these spirits were. Some creatures were deified by small tribes and some were feared by emperors who sought to disrupt nature's balance.

This was a behaviour gods and demons alike found peculiar but natural, given humanity's frail power.

For the gods, all had to be under their control, under the pyramidal shape of power they had built and demons were the only threat known to them.

Thus, Forest Spirits were left alone, just like humans had grown to be more independent from their creators and their unpredictable predators.

It always appeared to me that their status quo only brought their own demise as stars were born and destroyed by their own hands.

Oh well, at least they got what they wanted in a wicked way, unknown to us. This tale comes from a time were humans were still used by both gods and demons to crystallize their hatred towards one another.

After all, both sides swore to leave their territories alone, ever since they were aware they could exterminate each other in a single strike.

Alter-Magic, they called it. One spell of this magic broke their unwavering immortality, but their everlasting rivalry only got stronger as time passed.

The humans who suffered the most of those unwanted wars begged us, Guardian Spirits, for help. I simply accepted those inconsolable souls into my territory and asked them to maintain my forest's balance, just like other souls that lived in it.

They accepted and, before I knew it, they had grown in number and their rituals to thank me gave me a level of power I hadn't even imagined: I had become a god.

However, the heavenly realm doesn't easily accept newcomers and a swarm of priests washed away the teachings I had given the humans. From that moment on, I was so weak that the gods offered a way out: being sealed in a sacred object.

What a fool I was to believe I would keep my god status. My people forgot about me and viewed me as a monster, just like the gods had wanted them to.

I am Eun, a Forest Spirit, I have yearned for the day where humans will remember my teachings and remove their bindings towards the gods who made me, their saviour, a prisoner.


	3. Yearning Arc: Birth of Avenger

Death of Sister; Birth of Avenger

Written by Code Spade

Elesis' eyes were wide with terror. Her best warriors were killed.

A slash, a stab, and direct head butt was all it took to take out most of the Red Knights. Some of them joined the demons, desperate to live the demon ambush.

" _Captain! Captain! Please! Save u-AHHHHH!"_

 _Blood splattered on the ground and the organs of the knight calling for Elesis' attention came out. The demons moved on, not batting an eyelash at the dead knight._

 _Brave Knights, dressed in red, witnessed this and that lack of attention for a second was all the demons needed to kill them._

' _Why?' Elesis trembled, her grip on her sword growing loose, but she persevered and continued slaying the demons. Her mind went blank the moment she saw comrades switch to the other side._

" _AAAAAHHHHHHHH!"_

 _Elesis snapped. A huge wave of energy killed everything within the ambush, unfortunately, this evil energy killed the loyal knights as well. All of this darkness released attracted a dark el._

The dark el hummed mysteriously and floated in front of Elesis' face. The eyes of the red head followed the dark el's movement.

' _Power I need power for revenge. To avenge my dead comrades, to teach a lesson to those that betrayed the humans; I will annihilate every demon that I come in contact with. EVERY LAST ONE OF THOSE DEMONS WILL_ _ **DIE!**_ '

The dark el hummed again, approvingly broke in half and one half faded into Elesis' sword, the other half? It slowly forced its way into Elesis' body and mind.

The red knight slowly shook; eyes fading to an ombré effect of red to yellow and with her hair covering her face, Elesis looked terrifying. Claymore also changed accordingly; instead of a sharp, smooth blade, Claymore now spiked out; matching its masters evil personality and intents.

However… despite all of this chaos, despite all of this darkness… there was a glimmer of light in the darkness.

Where Elesis cries for help: to be released and purified of the dark intents, feelings, and the dark el.

Until then, Elesis will be forever unstable… both the light and dark are fighting for dominance in her body.

' _Help… please… SOMEONE… Save me or at least protect my brother.'_

This plea fell onto deaf ears… no one would know how guilty, sad, lonely, and scared Elesis is until her death, where she will be at peace… mentally and physically, but never emotionally.

 **Part 2**

Blood.

Despair.

Maniacal laughter.

Cold eyes.

Death.

Elsword collapsed onto his knees in front of his sister's dead body. Elesis collapsed after sacrificing too much blood with the battle against Scar. Aisha walked to her love. Hesitating, her arms came out to comfort him but in a fit of sudden anger, Elsword slapped her hand away.

"Go away!"

Aisha took a step back, hurt he would hit her, but she understood him and left him alone, shaking her head to the others and they walked away to let him mourn.

Trembling Elsword cried, as he was crying, he remembered an argument he and Elesis had a few months ago… just before their relationship had completely dissipated.

" _Sis~ Can you spar with me?"_

... (Go away please)

"Siiiissss~ Can you help me control my powers?"

... (If you don't go away, MY powers can run wild)

"Sis... Can you just hang out with your brother?"

Elesis glares at Elsword with those cold eyes and seem to whisper words out, "I would not go near such a worthless boy who needs his hand to be held all day, I don't have the time to do that and you are not my brother."

Elsword finally snapped,"What kind of sister does this to their brother?!"

Shock lit Elesis' dead eyes up.

"You have shown nothing but disgust to me! Why?! Why?! Why?! I hate your new change! Where is the sister I once knew?! The one where she would help me with anything! I HATE YOU!"

And with that outburst, Elsword stomped off to take out his anger on a few trees.

He never turned back once to see how his words hurt his sister.

"I'm sorry Elesis...please… wake up… don't do this to me. I lost mom, dad… I don't want to lose you either."

Elsword sobbed and the dark el residing within Elesis hummed with an ominous power and intent. Floating out of its host, the dark el shot forward to Conwell and slowly forced its way inside the sword.

The dark el whispered Elsword's desires: Power, revenge, and the revival of his sister

"Why should the demons that assisted with the murder of your sister be alive? Your sister died because of them. You do want her to Rest In Peace right?"

As the dark el continued to murmur these wants inside Elsword; the light in his heart started diminishing and darkness started to prevail.

Grasping Conwell and his Great Sword, Elsword grinned maniacally.

For his sister that died; he will do anything, even if that means his own death, to gut every last one of those demons that assisted in his sister's death. Aisha, who witnessed this from the sidelines, gasped and tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She turned away and knew it was too late for the old Elsword to come back.

...But it couldn't hurt, to hope, to desire, to wish that one day Elsword would come back to his senses one day and see that his sister did not need anything but be assured that her brother is safe.

 _Black and red colored heels stopped and Aisha, who was too busy in her book, bumped into her. Aisha sputtered as she saw the Crimson Avenger. Cold eyes glared at her and silenced that pathetic gibberish._

"Protect Elsword at all times, is that understood girl?"

Aisha blinked, once, twice, "Yes"

Elesis walked past her, but stopped as soon as she heard the Mage's voice again.

"But why tell me this and not directly to Elsword himself?"

Elesis let a bitter smile cross her lips, "Because that fool I call my brother would still be reckless even if I told him to be careful, it is just not in his dictionary."

Aisha let her tears fall and prayed to Lady El that Elsword would come back to the path of hope and not Death soon.


	4. Yearning Arc: The Yearning of Man

**The Yearning of Man**

 **Written by**

 **FumeKnight**

Man. The creation that was born from gods themselves. A being that has the ability to change as it pleases, have the strength to even surpass the odds against them, be it by force or intelligence.

The gods had a plan for them, to plant their faith into them and blindly follow their orders. Simply for the solemn wish to have people needing to rely on them at their most peril of times.

Though, they did not expect that the beloved man that they had created would one day take arms against them. Yes, the very being called human that once served them with unwavering faith had been corrupted by the demons, their counterparts.

For centuries, the gods and the demons would battle against one another, for a clear motive. The gods believed that the demons were filth, vermin that could only contaminate the land and spread ill intent for everything that the gods believed in.

The demons could only fight back. Day after wretched day they had to survive for another day, they believed that the gods were too cruel at the slightest mistake, and would cleanse the 'filth' that they were even though they didn't do such thing.

If the gods bestowed life to Man, then the demons would bestow them knowledge.

This was the turning point for Man to develop. Instead of mindless puppets, blindly following orders from who they were give life, they would question if their life with the gods would be so meaningless, their faith wavering.

Through time, Man started to contemplate the choices that he had been bestowed. But before he could chose one side, both creators and givers of knowledge disappeared without a trace. Leaving humanity at their whims.

As time passed further, Man began to integrate what it was bestowed to them, though differently to each individual.

Some were convinced that pledging their faith to the gods would bring them back and waited for their coming of age, others tried to find a way to survive the treacherous land that both gods and demons battled and in the mitts different life was created.

Yes, the land of Elrios began to flourish without the need of gods or demons to spur it's creation. The land and water were bestowed by themselves and the intervention of Man.

In the coming centuries, the land was divided into segments as to appoint landmarks, though each continent had been blessed by the different types of El crystals, stones that the gods used on the days of yonder.

Despite being free from any kind of control, Man began to feel... Empty.

Before He was needed by the gods or by the demons, nowadays Man can only entrust himself for it's needs.

And yet, without warning in his conscious self, it began to feel the "Want" to fill that void in his soul.

Yearning, that was what Man, or in his case, Humans crave.

But I've got to question myself, what is it that humans yearn for?

Is it their greediness for possession? Or is it their hunger for more knowledge, even more than what the demons could offer?

In what regard they crave, there will always be divine intervention between both gods and demons, making sure that Humans don't overstep their bounds and discover what should be kept as a secret from both parties.

And yet they keep pushing forward, throwing a blind eye to the consequences even if it means their death.

Perhaps, that is what they yearn for.

They are yearning for an end.

But I have to question again, a yearning to what end?

Death? Boredom?

Whatever they yearn for, many of them will not receive it from our gods or the cursed demons, for they were branded with the first sin. The sin of Want.

Yet, with all of the imperfections that were cast on them by the demons, the gods still wish to observe these humans. Either make it their responsibility or curious, they still have faith that their creation will see the good in everything and shove the word evil away from them.

In my eyes, they aren't worth the trouble to observe or to grant them gifts, though I will never voice my thoughts. I am a tool after all, my will is the goddess's will, but lately these thoughts grow more and more as I travel this land with this boy that reacts to the El crystal.

This might be the seed that Henir planted on me, but it matters not. My views of Humans, however do matter, for in each interaction with them make me consider my previous statement.

I'm confound as to why they still yearn, but perhaps, I do yearn as well. I yearn to finish my mission, but is it truly what I yearn most?

This is maybe, another human characteristic that I wasn't aware of. And yet, it doesn't sit well for me.

Have I been tainted with the sin that was branded to them?

What is it that I yearn for the most or is there something beyond that?


	5. Battle Arc: The Fallen Lord Knight

The Fallen Lord Knight

Written by FumeKnight

The clear sky of the past, was not present at this day. Nay, it hasn't shown itself for days on end.

Violent winds, thundering lightning and heavy rain covered the plains. Yes, this has happened many times before, but today it was different.

In this dark cloudy day, was the last stand that our hero, the one that had gone and fought alone without once asking for assistance. Not that he couldn't mind you, but rather to protect them, he would face the enemy head on.

He had nothing to give him support. No army, no friends nor medical support.

He hold the line as long as he could, but the fatigue and wounds that he had received finally cut him down. Yet he stood strong.

His sword in front, his feet firm and his expression never faltering. The boy that was nothing but a nuisance, had now grown to the man that held the front lines by himself, without anyone knowing.

In front of him, an army of demons were aiming their eyes to the one to repel them time and time again, on this terrible day they had the upper hand. No longer would they be pushed away, they would invade this world and it all was behind that kids back.

The Lord Knight, silently drew his sword and pointed at them. This in the days of old, meant that this was his last stand, no his last batch of fighting. After this, he would retire and return to his friends and family once more.

But at the same time, it could be him sending them his death wish.

Both parties readied themselves as the upcoming battle would end in a state where it had been for the last days, blood drenched.

With a war cry from the boy, he charged forward. Sword ready and spirit at it's peak. The demons retaliated with their own screaming and forced themselves towards their target.

Even putting the fact that both forces were weak, they turned a blind eye at that weakness and carried on. Doing so would honor their opponent, for he had been battling gruesomely without stop.

They ran and closed the gap rapidly. Countless times they did this, yet today it will end. The cogs of destiny were spinning, the winds were rushing haphazardly not containing their worry in them.

With an expression of rage and a grunt, the boys great sword collided with the kite shield, parrying him like before, only this time with the momentum of his body he contorted his direction and jumped over the soldier before smashing with great weight on another warrior, severing his ties to this plane of existence.

Without delay, a spear headed towards the head of the knight, but his reflexes were still sharp and the tip only grazed his shoulder and using the dead corpse of his fallen opponent as a meat shield while at the same time leverage to attack another warrior.

Altogether, piles of demons tried to take his life, but to their surprise his movements were getting faster and stronger. He had learned the ways of his sword greatly during his struggles against them.

As it stands, he had reached a level beyond his old form. Yes, he now had gained complete control of his blade.

It weighed nothing to him when he picked it up and when he used it to attack any foe in a death match the weight of the blade carried the spirits of the fallen.

The pinnacle of a Lord Knight. One where the blade that he carries has the weight of a thousand enemies and the strength of a thousand souls within his aura.

Yet, despite reaching this height, fatigue would always dull the senses and neither gods could deny it.

Without the boy noticing, he was being stabbed by multiple spears in different parts of his body, but it never went too deep.

Ignoring the pain, he pressed on. Taking down enemy after enemy, despite getting swiped every so often.

Each clash a lightning bolt would tremble the sky, in hopes of reaching the boy and his predicament.

His red hair would sometimes cloud his vision, making him trust his instincts when the next attack would come.

Another spear tried tried to take his life, but this time he redirected the attack and let it hit a fellow demon.

Though the volley of arrows hit his back viciously.

The pain was excruciating, yet he did not falter. There were others that suffered the same and still protected him from them, he now feels their pain and it gave him the drive to continue on.

He tried to get a quick crash with his sword as he did in the opening attack, but the enemy dodged it, thinking fast he used the momentum that he still had and did a quick swipe to his right, catching two by surprise.

But as soon as another victory fell on his lap, he had already lost something and the nerves screaming to him alerted him.

His left arm had been broken. A rogue demon with a hammer waited for the right moment to strike and what better way than to dwindle the boys strength than to take one of his arms?

He screamed in agony, but despite that he still carried his duty and cut down that lone demon.

Stabbing his sword on the ground, he panted heavily. His limit was drawing closer and closer, without an arm things wouldn't be any easier to achieve victory.

Still, his crimson eyes didn't let something like this to extinguish the fire within him, the desire to go home alive.

Gritting his teeth, he rushed the next demon and then the next one. Ending their lives faster than ever before, bleeding faster.

Desperation, that was written all over his face. He was desperate for a path for him to lead to victory, yet it was all clouded.

In the demons eyes, they saw a bloody knight, his blood had been fused with the blood of their own, which gave him a much more depressing look.

He took a large step backwards, then trusted his sword forward, granting two more lives to his blade.

Though by doing so, he left many areas unprotected and seized by his opponents.

This time, the spears stabbed even deeper than before, making contact with his bones and organs.

Yet it didn't kill him, he grunted and broke free from the weapons that pierced his body and threw the rag dolls of flesh that were embedded in his blade on his blade to the side.

Power started to surge inside of him, a power that wasn't familiar at all to both parties. This wasn't the El stone reacting in him, no, this was his willpower finally granting him the push that he needed, as his burning flame finally came out.

He looked at his acquired power that would've needed to be years to be cultivated, yet it seemed that today of all days, he was granted by his sheer tenacity.

Shifting his gaze, he pointed at his opponents once more, even with the bleeding that he was suffering, his broken arm and the immeasurable pain, his burning blade was still alive and it gave them indication that he wasn't done yet.

The demons shot another volley of arrows, all aimed at him from center point to scatter. He ran forward, avoiding them with his now surge of power temporarily disabling his fatigue.

With a single swipe of the blade the shield that was so cherished and granted them protection was worthless now. The blade simply cut through it like it was never dull to begin with after so many battles and the demon was no more.

This human that displayed desperation and was tired after so many grueling and life threatening battles, was now higher than what he was before. The spirit of this warrior shone even brighter than it ever did before, making the black clouds ashamed that they had to witness it's bright red color in full glory.

Each attack was countered and each counter resulted in death.

The army was now suffering heavily and morale was declining rapidly, that is, if the flame that the boy had hadn't started to dwindle after every so often.

Demons were cunning creatures, knowing when someone was losing their strength was always key for assuring victory. Their opponent was growing weaker, this was simply something that he saved to boost his strength and anything that gave a push would simply burn the rest of strength of their host.

The boy knew, he perfectly knew that he was in a time limit with this burst, but even so, even with that simple boost he would rather die than surrender.

The very same stormy winds that raged on during the battle, surrounded the Lord Knight as he gathered energy for a new attack, one that he thought on the spot.

Noticing the new behavior, the smart demons drew a cautious stance waiting to see what the boy would do the headstrong ones rushed at him seeing his defense drop.

He charged his blade, the flame growing stronger and stronger by the second, his power coursing through his veins. This isn't considered his last attack, but his last attempt to vanquish the army.

Closing his eyes, he cared not for the enemy that drew closer, by focused on his breathing, concentrated on making his power grow, making the last raw strength that he had come to light.

The heavy footsteps drew closer as his senses were sharpened while his hearing captured the rain hitting aggressively on his armor.

Opening his eyes, he lunged forward faster than he ever had before and cut down multiple demons in a single strike, but he was far from finished.

Jumping high in the air, he crashed his blade on the ground viciously, making a small tremor and the ground rippled forward due to the shock wave. The demons closest to the blast were pierced by the scraps of rock underneath the grass, killing them and spilling their blood on the field.

This wasn't the final step of his attack, that was only the beginning of the last step. Following it up, he quickly disposed of any remaining demons alive in his vicinity before jumping once more, this time he copied his sister in a way she never thought he would do.

Once he stabbed the ground, countless blades formed by his own power crashed down. Yes, he took his sisters technique and released it with higher number, greater power and larger range.

Anything in a 100 m was completely demolished with swords of aura stuck on the corpses, before fading away.

His swords flame was now a simple ember. His strength failed him as it took him a large amount of power to do all that consecutively.

He knelled as an arrow punctured his right knee, he looked forward to see that a couple of squads still remained even after that attack of his.

Blood spilled from his forehead and clouded his eyes with a deep crimson. Only their figures stood as a sign that they were there.

Breaking the arrow and grabbing his sword, he made his way to the figures swaying.

His eyes started to lose focus, his body was shutting down due to blood loss and his grip was light, his march towards the enemy was a suicide, but his duty as a Lord Knight kept him in line to not reside of his obligation.

He felt two slashes and a push. He fell on the ground and coughed violently before feeling his chest, it was warm. Bringing his hand towards him, he saw the ruby blood that was his tainted in his glove.

Then through his stomach passed through a spear, shock was finally subsiding and his instincts for survival kicked in. He swiped with his sword to thwart away the invaders, but that was short hoped, for they stabbed another spear from the back again.

He tried to take the life of the demon in front of him, but it backed off before his body felt arrows hitting him once more.

The boy held on, for his drive to protect his friends finally started to wave at him. He stabbed his sword on the ground, impeding himself of falling backwards and extended his hand forward.

The image of his companions waiting for him replaced the sorrowful sight of blood.

Not a smile was given to them as he pleaded them for forgiveness, of the foolish decision that he made. What he granted them was the tears that he had not shed for days.

With a final breath, the Lord Knight finally caved onto his wounds and fell to his knees while having his arms firmly locked onto his weapon.

Years to come, this battle was known as the fall of a knight and the field was named after the many battles and will that the demons had seen on that day.

The Crimson Field.


	6. Battle Arc: The Emerald Eye

The Emerald Eye

Written by LunaHalo43

"Lost soul, tell me. What do you seek by following this path of light?" asked a woman's voice, echoing in the darkness.

"Isn't this the path of afterlife?" the warrior answered.

The tired war sorcerer couldn't discern anything but a green and warm light in front of him. He continued to approach it, accepting that he had fallen as he held a protective shield to guard his troops from the enemy fire.

The only thing he could hope was that his sacrifice hadn't been in vain. He had done his best to lead his troops through the roughest battlefields, making sure the ones who fell in combat were close to zero. His magic was a disgrace to his family, but he personally found its uses for warfare.

He didn't remembered well how or why Hamel had decided to invade them, but he only knew that the battles had grown fiercer and that neither of the kingdoms wanted to give up and talk to each other.

He had been the commander of Resiam's fiftieth Sorcerer squadron. An honorable title, for anyone in his position, but he didn't see it that way.

Having the position of commander also meant have the lives of at least one hundred men over his shoulders and burn their corpses during the briefs ceasefire once a week. All commanders were expected to witness the torn out, rotting flesh and scared faces of their men, as if they hadn't enough of seeing them fall once.

Without a doubt, war was hell. No matter how many times leaders tried to justify themselves to the people, the young noble thought that lives should matter more.

After all, there could always be multiple differences among people, but each one of those people only had one life.

The corpses piled up, the ashes piled up and the regrets piled up; yet all those souls didn't seem to matter because the war raged on.

The light got even brighter and its rays pierced the peaceful darkness, blinding the young soldier. Once he could open his eyes again, he was in a sumptuous white temple where a white-haired woman faced a golden altar.

The dome-like shape of the temple was upheld by glowing columns of ice and all the other elements.

Just above the altar, there was a giant crystal where the whole world seemed to be reflected in each of the crystal's small creases.

He was so impressed by the temple's beauty that he dropped the pendulum-like amulet that had allowed him to hold the powerful shield despite receiving a poisoned arrow on his shoulder.

He felt a sense of unwavering peace in the temple; this was the paradise he had longed for after returning from his first battle. The woman in front of him had to be the angel that would make him pass into the next life, or so he hoped.

The crystallized sound echoed and the woman turned around to face him with her compassionate aquamarine eyes. Her being was lighted by a faint blue halo, making her white robe enhance the immaculate purity of her long, loose hair and her imposing presence in the temple.

"You made it here earlier than what I expected. Tell me your name, lost soul."

He was so mesmerized by her magnificence that he took a moment before answering. He scratched the tip of his long brown hair as he finally decided to reply:

"My name is Ainrad Avalanche. I'm the fourth heir of the Avalanche clan from Resiam. "

The mysterious woman repeated his name as she lifted Ainrad's amulet and analyzed it with an attentive gaze before saying:

"Your name is Ainrad, as in _the guardian of light_ , isn't it?"

Ainrad nodded and the mysterious woman smiled as she approached him. Once they were only a step away, she told him that his amulet was proof of his noble lineage.

She praised his capacities as a mage and told him how proud his ancestors were of him.

Ainrad frowned. No one in his family was proud of him. Plus, he wouldn't be the one who would take the succession of his clan. Seeing him as a nuisance, his brothers and father sent him into the heat of war so he would proof his "worth".

As if she was reading his thoughts, the mysterious woman continued:

"But all of that doesn't matter after death. Not even your king, nor your family, nor their lackeys. The only two certainties that are valid in this world are balance and darkness."

She continued balancing the amulet, as if it were a pendulum and added that he had the choice to pursue one of those paths.

The warrior remained silent, thinking that this woman was probably a guide to his eternal rest and that this would determine if he went to hell or to paradise. After minutes of hesitation and deep thought, Ainrad answered that he would choose the path of balance.

"Good! I'm glad to find in you an ally. My name is Ishmael, the goddess of the El. You live well to your name"

Ainrad was perplex by such news as the temple faded away; All of it was an illusion and everything transformed into complex magic circles that were unknown to him.

He was at the center of the biggest one and just by looking at the amount of magical energy that streamed up from every trait, he was sure that the woman had to be a god, the El's goddess.

"Ainrad Avalanche, we, the gods also fight alongside humans. We both fight the demons and their wretched ways." She said as the spell on the circle of magic activated

He didn't believe that demons were the only problem. It was also humans, humans who invaded land and killed people. Ainrade had done the same countless times, but he had learned to live with it by looking at how many of his companions and his kingdom he had managed to save.

He knew that there was no such thing as good or evil during wars. There was only bloodshed, useless bloodshed.

Ainrad lost consciousness as the spell was casted upon him. Was this the fate of all warriors? Could he ever find a way to return to a life devoid of conflicts?

The woman might have been a god, or even a demon for all he cared. He was being used to yet again to fight against someone else.

Before he could try to fight the goddess' power, He was plunged into a state of lethargy caused by the toxic amount of magic that ran from the circle into his veins.

It was then that he understood that humans would only be pawns. They would be pawns of demons, gods or even other men and nothing would change that because they were the weakest creatures in existence.

He felt like he was fused to the nothingness that had led him there. His memories, his very soul had been vacuumed by the eternal shadows that surrounded him.

Then, little by little, new memories came into his mind. Ainrad felt his whole vision of the world reform itself around the goddess he had seen before.

Gods were righteous, after all. They always thought of the universe's balance and that was what differentiated them from demons and other humans. They did everything to protect everyone, just like he had done.

He saw through Ishmael's memory and found in her being the same desire he had to protect and keep bloodshed away. This time, he had found a sovereign that he could promise to follow until the bitter end.

He slowly became aware of his surroundings again to hear the Goddess say:

"Hereby, I'll make you my knight, Ainchase Ishmael, _the light bringer serving Ishmael_."

Ainchase woke up, surprised to be somewhere dark and not alongside Ishmael. He hadn't fallen asleep for as long as he had served his goddess.

That dream, if it could be called as such, had been the oldest memory he could think of. This brought him back when he had begun serving Ishmael, back when he felt the power to chase darkness away and bring balance to the world.

Now, balance was uncertain. Ishmael had been killed, sacrificed to the demons' hands, and she was forced to take a human vessel to survive before the El exploded.

He clenched his grip on his amulet and got up to see his surroundings more clearly. The darkness around him wasn't absolute, but something evil and corrosive in the poisoned the air.

He sought an exit from this coffin. He had to break an exit with everything he had because even if Ishmael wasn't by his side, her will resonated through his mind.

"Balance is still there, Ainchase. The El and I still live on this world. Don't for– "

Her voice stopped and a portal appeared a few steps in front of him. The heavy black door was decorated by geometrical traits of blue that changed into a dark green as he approached it.

Just as his hand touched the door, the lines rearranged themselves until they formed an emerald eye that seemed to consume a part of his holy light.

He quickly charged a spell of light to make the door fall to pieces. Instead of an ample passage, only a small crack let him see glimpses of what appeared to be a forest.

With the help of his blessed amulet, he formed runic blades that tore darkness apart until he was in the middle of a forest he didn't recognize.

He asked his goddess for guidance, but her voice could no longer reach his soul. Before giving into despair, like any weak human would do, he assumed that Ishmael's night was approaching.

But that moment never happened. Ishmael's night was a forgotten ritual in this future and her voice didn't reach him. He was her only knight, the one who had to be her sword and her shield.

As if that wasn't enough, the El was as its more fragile state and his purifying spells didn't seem to work on the small shards he managed to collect.

How could that be? He had fought evil for ages and his power was fading away. Why hadn't the goddess answered his calls? There had to be a reason, somewhere. He sat down near a river and saw that his amulet was losing its shine.

Before he could think about a reason for that, a stinging pain made him yell. He looked at his reflection on the lake and was shocked to see that the skin near his eye was being consumed by the lines of the door he had touched.

The emerald eye was floating to his left, watching him cry. No matter how much he tried to break it, it always came back to form itself even bigger than before, reminding him that he couldn't win that battle.

It was then that he reminded himself what he used to think back when he was a human.

In war, Kings and queens will flee once they saw their soldiers crumble.

"So that's how it is, Ishmael." He murmured.


	7. Battle Arc: The Path I Walk

The Path I Walk.

Written by AverageFantasyWriter

" _Life goes on….Whether you choose to move on and take a chance in the unknown. Or stay behind, locked in the past, thinking of what could've been."_

The field of war has always been known to be vast.

Men would shout at the top of there lungs, men would charge straight into the unknown, skirmishes would take place all around the battlefield, the waters would flow with the blood of your fellow brethren and then in the end the victor will be decided after countless deaths.

This was war, this is how war has always been, but today was different. Today there was no war, today there were no shouts, today there were no skirmishes, today there was no sound, only silence, the skies above were filled with darkened clouds as the water poured down onto the soiled plain filled with blood and corpses, it was as if the heavens mourned for the fallen.

I walked this through this corpsed filled field, I would crouch beside young men and women who looked like they had just reached adulthood, half of the dead here had the stare of someone who didn't wish to die, as I shut closed there eyes I couldn't help but wonder why they came out here, what did they do before, what will their loved ones feel like when I must announce their death, crouching down beside a few corpses I laid a flower a top of each ones chest and mourn their deaths with the heavens as I retrieved there nameplates.

"How many do you have?" someone said from behind me, I turned around to see Lento standing behind me, "About twelve...you?" I asked, clenching the name tags in my hand tightly.

Lento untied a bag that was to his side, "An entire bag full…" he said, he tried to hold his composure but being the commander of most of the fallen soldiers scattered across this field, he couldn't help but feel sorrow. I gave him a gentle smile.

"Come on, let's get going. We've got houses to visit." I said as I walked past lento wiping away my tears.

The first home we stopped by was the home of Kendrick Adams, he was the eldest son of a bard, when his father passed away two years ago he enlisted that same year to provide for his sister who was his left home, she was his only relative left. I had met his sister once before during the harmony festival at the time I had become the leader of the unit that kendrick got assigned to.

I took a deep breath, looking over at lento who gave me a nod, I tightly clenched Kendricks nameplate.

*Knock, Knock, Knock*

Lento lightly knocked the door three times.

The sound of footsteps heading in our direction from inside could be heard and then the door flew open.

"Oh hello Ara, Lento." A young blonde girl opened up the door, her big blue eyes looked up right at us, because she was wearing an apron I guessed she was in the middle of cooking.

"Ah, come in dinner's almost ready." She urged us to come in as she continuously waved her hand in the air.

I shaked my head raising a hand in the air, "I'm sorry Claire but we won't be here long so we'll just stay out here for now." Lento beside me raised a sword laying it flat on his hands.

"This is for you Claire, It belonged to Kendrick….I am sorry for your loss, he was a brave soldier. He would want you to have it." Lento extended out the sword for Claire to take but all she could do was stare at it.

I stared at Claire's expressionless face, a pain struck deep in my heart. No matter how many times I do this, no matter how many times I see that face, I can't help but feel a painful sorrow in my heart. I tried reaching out for Claire in comfort.

"Claire…" before I my hand reached her shoulder she slapped it away, "Don't touch me…" she said in a low tone, the faint sound of her voice cracking could be heard.

"You led the unit he was on...y-you were his commanding officer! Y-you led him into that battlefield and failed to protect him!" Claire's expression finally lost its composure as she broke down on the spot holding her hands against her face trying to hide the tears.

I stepped back in guilt, she was right, I had led him straight to his death. I looked down towards the floor my heart aching in pain, "I know that I failed to protect your brother and I'm sorry." I reached out to Claire with Kendricks nameplate dangling from my hand, "This was his nameplate, I had retrieved it from his body."

Claire looked back up at me, her eyes swollen red from the tears. She took the nameplate from my hand running her finger along it, I could see more tears flow down her cheeks.

Then before I could react, Claire's hand came flying at my face.

A hard heart-felt slap was sent at flying at me as my head faced the other way. I held my cheek as tears started to flow down my cheek.

"C-claire…" Lento took hold of her arm as she tried going for another one, "Let go of me Lento!" Claire shouted struggling to escape his grasp, "I don't ever want to see you or her ever again!" Claire sniffled before bursting into tears again, "My brother is dead and all you bring me is his sword and nameplate! N-None of this stuff will bring him back so why bother!...Wahh…!" Claire dropped to her knees holding the sword and nameplate tightly against her chest, I wiped the tears from my eyes, I personally know how she feels. I lost my brother just like she did, when that happened I didn't want to listen to anyone, I didn't want to believe he was gone. I just wanted to see him one last time but I knew that day wouldn't come.

Claire then got back on her feet, "Go, now that you've finished what you came for, leave."

Without her needing to tell me I had already started to walk towards the stables.

As we were about to leave town Lento stopped me and said I should return to camp, that he'll take care of the rest. I only looked at him but I knew he was worried about me so I accepted his offer.

When I reached camp I walked into Kendrick's old room.

" _Hey Ara, Let's take a photo together!"_

I ran my fingers across his old desk remembering how much he liked taking pictures. I swear when I closed my eyes I could see him standing on top of the hill overviewing the town with his camera all set up as he took pictures of the rising sun.

" _Hey Ara what ya think?"_

I chuckled remembering how much of a pain it was looking around for him all over the camp just to find out he went out to that hill.

My vision began to blur, I took a seat on the chair in front of his desk,

"Sniff….Kendrick...I'm sorry that I'm about to mess up your writing space." I said this as the tears began to flow non-stop, I didn't even care to hold them back anymore as I let out all the pain inside my heart at this very moment, screaming at the top of my lungs in sorrow. On this day I had lost a very dear friend to me, a very important comrade and no matter how many times I've been through this the aching pain will always hurt this much. I turned my head to the side wiping the snot off my face as I stared at the last picture I took with Kendrick, "Sleep well up in the heavens Kendrick…." I smiled faintly, _I hope it's beautiful up there for you._

After a few hours I stood up realizing it was morning I walked to the mirror and straightened my appearance, "The fight ain't over….for those who died to protect humanity, I'll continue to fight in your steed." I walked out of Kendrick's old room determined to move on ahead. I looked up at the sky that began to clear up as a new day was about to begin. Another chapter in life. I smiled faintly. That's right.

This is the path I chose to walk down. This is the path of a soldier.


	8. Battle Arc:He's not the only one hurting

**He's not the only one hurting**

"Ugh!" I yelled from the top of my lungs, my companions Elsword and Chung tried to hold me down, "Raven get a hold of yourself!" "Yes he's right come back to your senses Raven!" The voices of Elsword and Chung trying to communicate with me started to fade away, they tried hard to bring my consciousness back from the darkness but it was useless, I could feel myself falling deeper and deeper. This void was my prison, this is the place where I would meet my other self, the self I could never accept but could never leave behind. I beared the internal struggle with myself and the nasod arm that continuously spread across my body. "Welcome back, seems this time you heard me yes?" Across from where I stood in the void stood another me with the nasod arm on his body his hair was completely bleached compared to mine, "Tell me, why did you bring me back here? I've told you before I won't let you take this body. I am me!" I said, my words feelings like a venom spilling out of my mouth.

The other me raised his his hand reaching out for me, his hand gripping on my collar "But I am also you." he said as he brought me closer to his face, his touch sent chills down my spine, I pushed him away. "Stop! Get out of my head!" I yelled falling to my knees as I held my head, the pain circulating through my body felt like it would split my head in two. "This pain isn't because of me, you've just never accepted what you've really-" "You are not part of me! I am not a machine, I am a man!" I backfired, when the pain died down I looked up at the other me, his expression was stiff as always. "Why do you not accept me? I've been obedient for a long time, I've waited patiently for you to accept the rest of us with open arms..why is it a struggle to do so?" He said, his expression lost it's expressionless looks and started to show emotion. Before me the other me seemed to be just a child. He seemed all alone, like a child wanting his parents to recognize his existence. I couldn't help but feel sorry for it. In the end I knew it wasn't it's fault, he wasn't the one who tried to control my mind, he wasn't the one who put himself here, I knew that the source of my suffering had long ago died. I was the one who defeated it thanks to Elsword and his friends, they freed me from the Kings control, even when the world hated me they accepted me with open arms. Looking at it, that child before me was just like me back then, he just doesn't have someone to accept him. "All this time, you've been calling out to me and I ignored it, I've always thought that maybe it'll go away with time. I was scared honestly. I was scared that I would turn back to who I was and hurt my friends." I said I sat down beside my other self. "I didn't realize that we aren't that much different. You are me...and...I am you." When those words came out of my mouth at that moment I felt that some weight had finally been released from my shoulders. My other self turned his head to face me. "We are one? Am I finally apart of you?" He asked I gave him a slight smile, "Mhm, it was never your fault that I became that way, he's already gone. Now there's nobody who can hurt me anymore...other than myself." I said placing an arm around myself. "I'm sorry for always ignoring you, now I ask of you..will you help me continue to fight alongside those people?" I asked, my other self lowered his head for a second but when it came back up a smile was plastered across his face. "Mhm!"

I stood back up and reached a hand out, "Then let's go back..together." I said as he placed his hand in mine, at that moment I could feel his being becoming a part of me, the place were there was no arm had the nasod arm sitting there, but its appearance was different than, it looked less like that of a monster and more thinner, more a part of me. When my consciousness returned I was surrounded in flames. Elsword and Chung were still screaming my name, when I looked around me the flames no longer bugged me, instead they made me feel warm. Holding my nasod arm against my chest a small grin formed on my face. "I see...your still there.." I said as I waved my hand across the fire dissipating it, Elsword and Chung immediately ran over. "Raven are you alright! W-what happened to your hair!?" "It became whiter.." Chung and Elsword said. Chung gave me a mirror and I looked at myself in it, what they said was true, most of my hair became bleached but that didn't bug me. "It's fine, I'm still me after all." I said. From this day onward I've never felt those pains again. I could finally have peaceful nights but from to time I would see my other self, I wouldn't ignore him. We would talk and come to accept each other more. "Thank you for everything.." I said looking down at my arm.

 _Character: Raven  
Job: Reckless Fist - Rage Hearts_


End file.
